The spontaneous combustion of the man is rare and may therefore still unexplored. It's not the fact that the basis of this phenomenon lies some unknown science the process. On the contrary, everything seems to be clear and already know... In the human body contains combustible materials, such as oil. Sounds, of course, not very nice, but human fat is well lit. All of us know the cremation rite, which is probably as old as mankind itself. But in this article we are talking about spontaneous combustion. Why it occurs?

Criminologists shrug

In the world of forensics there are many cases when firefighters and police officers were found the remains of people, burned down under mysterious circumstances. For example, in the middle of the room lies charred body, and the furniture and interior items almost not touched by fire. And the body was burned strangely. Where was the body, the pile of ashes, and his hands and feet, sometimes a whole.

Most often burnt people had been abused. It first killed and then burned in order to stage an accident. But sometimes crime is completely impossible, but burned down half a corpse is obvious, and criminologists in disbelief spread his arms. There was an opinion that the inflammation may be caused by high temperatures arising at chemical reactions that may occur on the atomic level. The combustion process in this case is supported by the human body fat, which slowly melts. However, many victims of samouskorenie were elderly people who abused alcohol and nicotine, and was distinguished by a significant thinness...
Case No Kohl Mille

It is interesting that the information about human combustion reach us from antiquity. In the Middle ages it was believed that burning without any reasons and burnt-out man sold his soul to the devil, for which he paid the bills.

Starting from the XVII century there were publications about cases of spontaneous combustion in Italy and England. In 1763, he published a book by Jean DuPont Natural ignition of a human body". The idea of writing a book came Frenchman, when he learned about the case Nicole Mille, in death, which accused her husband. However, forensic examination determined that the victim was burning itself, and eventually the poor man was acquitted.

Later this history has made such a strong impression on Charles Dickens that he is "burned" one of his characters in the novel "bleak house", for which, however, he then had to fend off criticism of George Henry Lewes, who accused the author of the perverted fantasies.

Similar cases of spontaneous human combustion is described in the books of Emile Zola, Jules Verne and Herman Melville. Anyway, still spontaneous combustion, are not recognized by science and is only able to produce many rumors and disputes.

To explain the inexplicable

Let's try to understand all this from a scientific point of view. Approximately seventy percent of our body is water. The only thing that burns well, as already mentioned, it is oil, and gas - methane, which can be in the gut.

In all known cases the victims were burnt down almost completely, which is impossible in principle, because it requires a very high temperature, which is available only in special conditions, for example in the oven of the crematorium or ritual fire, when the body is wrapped in cloth and is lined with wood. But even there the corpse burning for hours, and the remaining bones in the crematoria are ground in special chambers.

In order chemical reaction led to a fire in a human body needs a lot of energy. And where did it come from? Scientists cannot understand it.

The most plausible of theories about the causes of full body destruction by fire is considered "effect candles". If the body is somehow caught fire, that it has burnt down completely, the flame should be supported. The role of human fat. Roughly speaking, the clothing of the victim during the combustion saturated fat and further acts as a wick.

At the end of 1980-ies Professor at the California Institute of criminology John de Haan made an interesting experience. He wrapped a pig carcass wool blanket, doused with gasoline and set on fire. Carcass burnt five hours, and resulting from it nothing left. While the furniture in the room remained virtually intact. By its composition, fat pigs are very similar to human, so he suggested that in cases of human rights the result was the same thanks to the presence service.

However, several years later, the journalists of National Geographic tried to repeat the experiment, but failed. They forgot to close the door, draught fanned the fire, resulting in the room was seriously damaged.

There is a version that complete combustion of the body contribute to the floor, preventing the absorption of fat, and the Seating position of the victim, as the flames climbed body straight up.

There were attempts to explain the phenomenon described the influence of the mythical cosmic particles - pelotona having the ability to pass through matter and release of atomic energy, causing ignition substances.

Plausible is the theory put forward by Professor Brooklyn University Robin scourge. He suggested that the cause of samouskorenie is accumulated static electricity. This has already happened more than once, for example, filling stations. On human clothes it is also accumulating that might cause an electrical discharge. With this in dry cold weather people can flare up like a candle.

The martyrology of samouskorenie

For the last three hundred years, was described about two hundred cases of spontaneous combustion of the man. Almost all of them ended in death of the victim. Here are some of them.

April 9 1744 the remains of a 60 year old alcoholic grace Pett from the town of Ipswich in England were found her daughter. According to the testimony of the daughter, mother-nothing left - "she looked like a heap of embers and ashes from the burned cord of wood". Clothing scattered near the remains was not touched by fire.

1 July 1951 Mary Riiser, a resident of St. Petersburg (Florida, USA), was found by a neighbour in his house burnt down completely, with the exception of the skull and completely whole left leg. From the chair in which sat the poor, with only a few springs. Even if the woman caught fire from bad extinguished cigarettes, it does not explain that her body, according to the conclusion of the forensic examination, burned at a temperature of several thousand degrees.

This tragedy was inspired by the American writer Michael Harrison on the creation of the novel "Fire from heaven", published in 1976. The case of Mary Riiser has become the most frequently cited evidence of samouskorenie.

may 18, 1957, was found charred corpse Anne Martin, 68-year-old American woman from Pennsylvania. Was left only a part of the torso. Criminologists have found that the body was burnt down during the monstrous temperature of about 2000 degrees C. However, things that were near the remains, including Slippers and even a couple of Newspapers, was untouched by the fire.

In December 1966, the remains of a 92-year-th of Dr. John Irving Bentley were found in'his house in Coudersport (Pennsylvania, USA). Employee of the company who came to take readings of the electric counter, found in the premises of the heap of ashes, from which protruded part of the foot. The rest of the body of Dr. burned down completely. The house remained virtually intact, only in the bathroom, where he died Bentley, the floor was opened burn with a diameter of about one meter.

This list can be continued. But no matter what reasons tried to explain the phenomenon, and these cases are United by one thing - the victims was not the slightest chance.